Earth Day Mobile Bay to feature locally grown food, green products

View full size(Press-Register/Kate Mercer)Jonathan Maddison helps his son Corbin sift through dirt for rocks, minerals and gems as wife Shellie Maddison helps their daughters Theodosia and Audrey sift through their bag of rocks in the Gem Mining set up by Analece of Fairhope. The exhibit took place during the Earth Day festivities at the Fairhope Pier on April 19, 2009. With more than 80 exhibitors as well as bands, food vendors and other attractions scheduled, organizers hope the environment cooperates with plans for the area's annual Earth Day celebration in Fairhope on Saturday.

Earth Day Mobile Bay is set for 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Fairhope Municipal Pier Park.

The National Weather Service predicts a strong chance of rain Saturday, so organizers are keeping an eye on the clouds. "It's a rain-or-shine event, but the weather is a concern," said Gary Gover, president of Earth Day Mobile Bay.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day's national beginning in San Francisco and the 20th anniversary of the first celebration in Fairhope.

Over the years, protecting the environment has become more a part of everyday life for many Americans, Gover said. "It's definitely much more mainstream kind of thing now. Household items, such as air-conditioning and heating systems, are being designed to have less of an impact," he said.

Food is another area of environmental emphasis, Gover said. On Saturday, food vendors, such as Lulu's and Marley's Global Eats, will offer products that use locally grown items.

Exhibitors on Saturday will discuss and promote ways to further aid the environment.

The Alabama Coastal Foundation, for example, will be selling reusable grocery bags. The bags reduce landfill waste and the demand for paper and plastic, and also help fight a local environmental concern, said foundation executive director Bethany Kraft.

"It's a fundraiser to help eradicate the apple snail. It's a reusable grocery bag with a really fun snail logo for $5," she said. "They asked us to help and we put our heads together and realized we could either write a small check or do something like this to raise more money for it."

Amazonian apple snails first appeared in the lake at Langan Park in Mobile and have since spread to Three Mile Creek. Environmental officials have said that unless checked, the snails could soon spread to the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, causing severe damage.